Tag Archives: Etsy

Shipping tip.

Sometimes I’m a bad Etsy shop owner. Mostly due to that job I work during the week and those 2 amazing things I made that live in my house with me. I like to feel like there’s some progress being made and so sometimes when I don’t have enough time to completely sew a cup cozy I’ll address envelopes or write thank you tags, or something smaller that I can accomplish and feel good about.

Here’s a tip for how I keep organized with a bunch of addressed envelopes lying around. After I address the envelope I just jot on the back a little something that will tell me the cozy that needs to go in it.

It’s not rocket science, and I’ve seen some of my personal purchases arrive like this but it helps save some time.

Cute handmade buttons

I bought these the other day.  They’re really cute.  The shop is called From the Red Kitchen and the buttons are lovely.

 

She’s also got some other fun goodies, including bias tape that I’m working really hard to not buy.  I’ll add learn to make bias tape to my list.

Interwebs dominoes

Sooooo I’ve been hanging out late at night on Twitter while I work away and Thursday is *always* there.  She mentioned The Vintage Cabin, so of course off I went to Etsy to see the shop.  Then I bought something. . . s.

In my poking around I ended up at the Vintage Cabin Blog (which is hillarious and local so I love it).  In one of her posts she mentioned a shop in Toronto, SMASH that seems super awesome, but has wacky hours *sigh*

 

She mentioned her love of industrial inspired stuff and said Three Potato Four was a favourite, so then there I was on that site.

 

Vintage Cabin was also featured in N.E.E.T magazine, which is awesome and full of all sorts of cool stuff.  I can’t even link all the neat things I found in there, just go check it out for yourself and you too will be playing Interwebs Dominoes.  Yeah, I’m making up a new term.

 

Making my own awesome camera/laptop bag.

I really, really, really wanted a JoTotes camera bag.  Pretty sure I’ve said that a few times.  I was being good and saving for the lovely tangerine one but then disaster struck and when I went to actually purchase it they were all sold out. I sent an email and learned they aren’t making that colour again. They’re very sold out, often.

So I implemented a back up plan. I searched on Etsy for vintage bags and narrowed it down to the local shops hoping to skip expensive shipping charges and organize a pick up. I found an awesome bag at this shop. They’ve got fantastic prices, some vintage luggage left, and if you’re in Canada too the shipping is reasonable.

Now I’m working on lining and padding it so I can toss my camera, ipad or lappy. I’m also working on learning photoshop so pardon me while I experiment!

Some much needed Mommy organization and crafty fun.

Somehow I’m getting stuffed up again.  It’s so not cool.  We all just got over some hideous cold.  I don’t want a new one.  I saw this printable linked  and had a great idea for it.  It’s from yoursecretadmiral and she’s a superstar for sharing such a fun little printable.

I wanted to make something to help me plan lunches during the week.  I teach in the afternoons, which at my school start at 12:25, but I have a 10 minute yard duty everyday from 12:15-12:25.  So I have to start lunch for me and the boys at about 11, especially with all the winter gear.  If we go out in the world to do something in the mornings I’m usually rushing to get a lunch ready and I’m lucky if I get to eat before we have to run out the door and across the street to the sitter.  I *hate* feeding them quick convenience food and really make an effort to prepare from scratch.

I printed out the file, cut the days apart and laminated them.  I have the cute little “My lists” house set aside for a notebook or something, I didn’t laminate it.  Then I cut pieces from a roll of magnetic tape and attached a little bit to the back of each day.  Then you have little magnets that are also write off/wipe off boards!

You could put them on your fridge or anywhere else magnetable.  These are on one of the handiest things in our kitchen, that isn’t used for cooking.  I’m a tad embarassed to show the inside but it’s such a wonderful little thing I’m going to share.  Magnetic front, builiten board back and storage compartment, all in one handy good looking thing!

Wheee new fabrics and some Japanese ribbon!

Spent some time just before the holidays shopping for myself, as I’m sure many of you did. I’ve become addicted to checking Etsy’s front page a few times a day, sometimes even before it’s had a chance to change. I’ve also been in many treasuries lately which has led me clicking around the handmade heaven that is Etsy. Here are some things that arrived last week.

These lovely fabric ribbons from boqinana. The fabric was just bonus!

Fun fabric and ribbon from DoodooShop. I have plans for that air mail ribbon, I’ve been busting with excitement waiting for it to arrive so I can start the project.

These arrived a while ago and I just didn’t get to posting about them yet. Fabric scraps from starlitnest. She apologized for a delay in shipping, which I hadn’t really noticed, and said she added some extra fabric to the mix to make it up to me. Isn’t it bad enough I have my own stash of scraps but I have to keep buying other people’s!?

I also have some pretty masking tapes coming from kimamaya. Should be here shortly. It was probably evil of me to be ordering ‘just because’ things during the holiday shipping rush. Ooops.

The fabric love continues.

Isn’t this the cutest little print ever?!

Available at DreamingOfSewing.  I’m trying really hard to resist buying it.

Selfish crafting.

The kids went for a sleep over with Grandma and Grandpa so we had some time to ourselves, went to a movie, had some sushi and came home to goof off!!  I spent some time reading about screenprinting VS purchasing a YUDU.  I think I’m going to try setting up my own little screen printing nook.  Everything should go well.  I also decided to make myself a purse organizer!

I ordered this pattern from The Crochet Diva a few nights ago. It was really easy to follow and I love the results.

I used some awesome Japanese fabric I have with a Wizard of Oz print. Having a fabric addiction is sort of horrible. I was so torn between, “I don’t want to cut it!” and “Well what’s it here for if I’m not going to make something with it?”. I took the plunge and decided to cut into it.

And now for the action shot!

I also ordered the modernish messenger bag pattern.  Perhaps I’ll get to making that in the next little bit.

Stop! Barter time!

Bartering is one of the super cool things about spending your day sitting at a craft show.  It’s usually pretty easy to work out some sort of deal with someone and walk away having given and recieved something handmade.  Recently I’ve been contacted by some fellow Etsy sellers asking if I would be ineterested in doing a swap.  Enter Alison of  alisonostertag.etsy.com.  She lives in Philledelphia, blog here, and asked if I would be interetsed in some ofher photography in exchange for a cup cozy. Apparently she challenged herself to gift shopping through swapping. How cool is that!?

Rather than count pennies and figure out what item in her shop was equal to my cozy I just told her I was in and gave her permission to surprise me with whatever she wanted to send. That said, I am now the proud owner of a lovely print turned card and this great shot of a statue. Lovely pictures follow to disguise my lack of knowledge about the subject matter!


Wow, ignore my tattered old university sweater sleeve!! Yipes, how’d I miss that while cropping!?
Also, her photos are impeccable I didn’t do so well taking my own photos of her photos.

I love her shots of bikes and the doors of Fairmount! She also has a ceramics shop on Etsy.

Losing steam?

I think I may have upset some thing in my universe. All that work over the weekend was awesome! So much was accomplished, and I know it’s only 4 days later but I feel like I haven’t done a thing. Aside from updating the shop Monday night. I need to find that momentum again.

I added this fun little gem to the shop tonight, I’m loving the possibilities of this cup cozy.

There’s a pile of things to finish up and I seem to be procrastinating by doing other less important tasks. Perhaps the reality of a craft show about 2 weeks is sinking in. Here’s my pledge to be at least just as productive as last weekend over these next 4 days, if not even more!!!